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Matchup Overview
The outcome of game six of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was dictated by the horrid unprofessional officiating of the referees. -Getty Images
A visit to the Staples Center has always had new meaning to the Devils faithful ever since the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. I’m sure none of us will ever forget that fateful game six where the officials blatantly missed a hit from behind on Stephen Gionta, only to make the same call on Steve Bernier seconds later, which resulted in the five-minute major for the Los Angeles Kings that started their six-goal scoring spree. Those memories and how those NHL referees practically dictated the outcome of that game are still fresh in my mind, and every visit now to Los Angeles is a perpetual reminder of what could have been if those said officials actually did their job.
But I digress.
On Thursday night, the Devils five-game winning streak was halted after blowing a two-goal lead in a matter of 16 seconds to the Anaheim Ducks. They would lose the game 3-2, giving the Devils their fourth regulation loss that puts them at 1-1-0 on their road trip. A lot of questions surround what the Devils lineup will look like tonight with star forwards Mike Cammalleri and Taylor Hall unavailable, along with defenseman Yohan Auvitu sidelined with a lower body injury. While five-on-five scoring hasn’t been much of an issue for the Devils on a gamely basis, they haven’t scored a power play goal in over 20 opportunities over their last six games, which finally caught up to them in Thursday’s matchup against Anaheim. The Kings haven’t had the same luck as New Jersey in their past five games, during which they’ve gone 1-3-1. After coming off their own five-game road trip, Los Angeles managed to win just one contest, while going 1-3-1 overall before defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Thursday night. The Kings have gone 3-1-0 at home in the month of November and despite their sluggish start to the season, will prove a worthy adversary for New Jersey this afternoon.
Who to watch
Beau Bennett is due for his first goal of the season. -Getty Images
Beau Bennett…He’s been able to do everything but score this season, and everyone thinks it’s only a matter of time before the goals start to come for the former first round pick. He’s one of two Devils forwards to appear in at least 15 games this season without registering a goal, but his positive shot differential when he’s on the ice, him constantly being in the right place at the right time, along with his newfound opportunities in the lineup due to the aforementioned absences of Cammalleri and Hall make his situation all the more contusive for him to tally his first goal of the year soon.
Keys to the game
Power play…Like I mentioned earlier, New Jersey hasn’t scored a power play goal in over 20 previous opportunities and it finally caught up with them in Thursday night’s loss against the Ducks. The sidelining of Taylor Hall and Mike Cammalleri doesn’t make things easier for a drought of this nature to come to an end but you have to figure that the Devils are eventually going to be due.
Secondary scoring…The same glaring issue we all thought was a thing of the past has returned in full force for the Devils this season. Currently 25th in scoring with 39 goals, only 14 Devils players found the back of the net this year (five of them being defensemen). Among the forwards that scored, 23 of those goals came from their top-six forwards (Hall, Parenteau, Zajac, Palmieri, Cammalleri, Henrique). The disparity of goal-scoring between New Jersey’s 1st-6th and 7th-12th forwards is very apparent, and would put them at the bottom of the standings if it weren’t for their quality defense and all-star goaltending. This is something that needs to change soon.
Where to watch
MSG+ (Local)
FS-W (Los Angeles)
When to watch
4:00pm EST